In addition to free public access to computers and the Internet, public libraries provide their communities with robust electronic collections. One area of significant interest and growth has been the provision of e-books. Nationwide, 67% percent of public libraries report offering free access to e-books to library patrons - up 30 percent since 2007.

One of the more striking trends over the past 10 years is the changing face of public library collections.
Despite some fluctuations, the number of print materials has shown an overall decline in the past decade
(Figure 14 on p.26), from 2,859 print materials (per 1,000 people) in FY2000 to 2,745 in FY2009, a decrease of
4.0 percent. While the per-capita number of print materials has been declining, the amount of non-print
materials has increased (Figure 15 on p.26). Audio and video materials in public library collections have grown
since FY2000. Additionally, the number of electronic book (e-book) volumes was added to the PLS in
FY2003, which provides for an examination of the role these materials play in the composition of public
library collections. The number of all three types of non-print materials per 1,000 people has increased.
There were 178 audio materials per 1,000 people in FY2009, up 5.9 percent from FY2008 and up 48.2
percent over 10 years. Similarly, there were 171 video materials per 1,000 people, an increase of 2.7
percent since FY2008 and more than double (105.8 percent) over the prior 10 years. Finally, there were
51 e-books per 1,000 people, up 13.0 percent from FY2008 and an increase of 224.3 percent since the
addition of e-book volumes to the PLS data collection in FY2003.

The decline in print materials is not an indication of shrinking collections. Total materials in public library
collections were over 934.8 million, an increase of 14.8 percent since FY2000. This decrease in the
number of print materials per capita is an indication of a change in the nature and composition of public
library collections and an indication of the more varied types of materials found in contemporary public
libraries. Although print materials are still the largest proportion of most public library collections, the ratio
of print to non-print materials has changed significantly over the past 10 years (Figure 16 on p. 27). In FY2000,
print materials comprised 93.4 percent of public library collections; in FY2009, this had dropped to 87.3
percent. In contrast, audio and video materials combined made up only 6.6 percent of collections in
FY2000, but this proportion increased to 11.1 percent in FY2009. Although still a small proportion of the
total collections, e-books comprised 1.6 percent of the total public library collection in FY2009, which is an
increase of 89.2 percent since FY2004.

Differences in collection composition can be seen between localities. Public libraries in rural areas had
more print and e-book volumes per capita than other locales in FY2009, with 3420.1 print and 131.3 ebook
materials per 1,000 people (Figures 17 and 18 on p.28), levels that are 24.6 percent and 157.5 percent
above the national average, respectively. However, public libraries in urban areas have larger
collections. The average number of print volumes in urban public libraries was 569,451 in FY2009, which
is 543.8 percent above the national average of 88,445. Similarly, the average number of e-book volumes
in urban public libraries was 4,288 in FY2009, 161.1 percent over the national average.

In addition to free public access to computers and the Internet, public libraries provide their communities with robust electronic collections. One area of significant interest and growth has been the provision of e-books. Nationwide, 66 percent of public libraries report offering free access to e-books to library patrons - up from 38 percent three years ago.

Last summer, Library Journal and School Library Journal conducted an eBook survey for libraries. The survey was designed to measure current and projected ebook availability in libraries, user preferences in terms of access and subjects, and library purchasing terms and influences. They included an academic, public, and school library version of the survey. Hundreds of questions were asked and hundreds of libraries responded. The results of those surveys were published in November, 2010 in three separate reports. The executive summaries of each are available on the Library Journal site and full reports are available for purchase. There were 1,842 respondents, broken down to 364 academic, 781 public, and 697 school libraries. I've captured some of the data to share with you, but the reports are full of additional information on budgets, marketing, barriers to adoption, patron preference, and much, much more. A primer on ebook readers and formats is in the appendix of each full report. Thanks to Josh Hadro at Library Journal for sharing the reports with me and allowing me to publish some of the data here on No Shelf Required. Here are a few of the results from the surveys:

43% of the librarians contacted anticipate an increase of their budget for ebooks for 2008 compared to last year; 1% expect this part of their budget to decrease. In most cases, these funds will be allocated from the book budget.

85% of the librarians contacted purchase e-books as part of a collection and 45% currently acquire individual titles.

For 78% of the respondents, the priority is placed on purchasing frontlists before backlists from publishers.

The subject clusters most attractive for e-books for the librarians interviewed are reference, science or computer science titles.

45% of the librarians are unlikely to purchase a book in print format if they are purchasing it electronically. 6% are likely or very likely to duplicate the information. For the remaining of the sample, the decision varies greatly based on the subject area and is made on a case-by-case basis.

E-books are perceived as a very convenient tool to broaden library patrons’ access to quality content but too many technical and practical problems still create barriers.

eBooks--The End User Perspective (PDF, 1.6 MB) Survey of users at five university libraries, conducted in 2008, found that eBooks are best suited for research purposes or in a search environment where the user needs to locate specific information.

DrsCavanaugh Educational Technology – page on eBook Libraries that offers a list of links of free eBook libraries available today. Each of the libraries listed provides free services to the public. Depending on the library book can be presented in either single or multiple formats.

EBook Lending Libraries - MobileRead Wiki is mainly a site containing an active forum for the Mobile Reading community. This page lists places where you can borrow modern and classic time-limited ebooks for free, or for a yearly fee. Be sure to check your local library's website too: if they have ebooks available, they may be your best source. You may also be interested in E-book stores, where you can purchase books and find some for free.

Electronic Books in Libraries - Information collected by Susan Gibbons as she completed her LSTA grant, "Electronic Book Evaluation Project." Provides information about the devices, software and subscription sources that are available. NOT UPDATED since 2002.

Libraries and Platforms (E-Book Readers)

Libraries Loaning E-book Readers (PDF) by Sian Waterfield, Information Services, Cambridge Libraries & Galleries in Ontario, Canada, March 2010 (Identifies several academic and public libraries--both those located in Canada and those located in America--that have e-reader lending policies, especially Kindle and Sony Reader) -- Executive Summary: This report was written to investigate whether Canadian libraries are loaning e-book readers and to examine whether it would be beneficial to add e-book readers to the collections of the Cambridge Libraries & Galleries. It was found that libraries are pleased with their e-book reader experience and recommend that other libraries follow their lead. The following provides an overview of how libraries are loaning e-book readers.

Information from the following was reviewed:
• Canadian and American Library Listservs
• Canadian Library Associations
• Canadian and American Public Libraries
• Media and library literature